‘Oyo PDP lacks construction knowledge’

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Oyo State yesterday said the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) “knows nothing” about construction.

It said “this lack of knowledge” affected the state when the PDP administered its affairs.

ACN was reacting to the PDP’s allegation that the contract for the Ibadan flyover was inflated.

The PDP queried the gap between the Ibadan bridge, estimated at N2.5 billion and the 2.5km Lalubu-Ibara-Totoro bridge in Ogun State, which cost N1.5 billion.

In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Dauda Kolawole, ACN said: “We are awestruck that a political party could advertise its naivety this shamelessly. The PDP should have demanded details of the two bridges. The details would have shocked it and averted this shameless plunge that it has made.

“The Ogun bridge is 400 metres in length, while the one being built in Oyo is 640 metres. Apart from the difference in their length, ours includes the provision of ancillary facilities to the bridge. These include the construction of roads on both sides of the bridge, rehabilitation of adjoining roads, construction of standard one-metre-by-one-metre reinforced concrete drains, beautification of the road, landscaping and street-lighting.

“It is apparent that the PDP is too illiterate to understand that these facilities are part of the construction of an overhead bridge. In the history of the PDP’s reign in Oyo State, it never built a road of that quality.

“It is sad that a party that claims to be in the opposition does not have a clear understanding of its role, had no details of what it wanted to criticise and was merely groping in the dark because of the limitation of its runners.

“The other day, the Accord leader, who is also a former PDP leader, said he dreamt of building an overhead bridge! Sensing the bridge’s imposing nature and the kudos it has been attracting to the Ajimobi administration, it is lamentable that there have been several attempts by the PDP and its Accord variant to discredit it.

“However, every attempt they have made has landed them in greater shame. They had better accept that the Ajimobi administration is far ahead of them in initiatives and the mental grasp in the art of governance.”